In the Conservation Lab: Romeo and Juliet

More Collection Highlights
Left: Within an elaborate gold frame two figures stand on a path in a forest. A woman wearing in long white dress with puffy sleeves and a high collar is embraced by a man wearing an Elizabethan outfit, pointed boots and complete with a red cap with a long feather. A burgundy cloak is draped over his arm, concealing a sword. Right: A second version of the same painting, with a layer of grime obscuring the colours and details of the artwork.

Romeo and Juliet by Italian artist N. Riccardi is inspired by William Shakespeare’s play. It captures the young couple as Romeo bids farewell to Juliet, an interpretation of Act III, scene 5.

The painting was purchased by John Hammond in 1885 while he was travelling in Italy acquiring works for the Owens Art Institution, a gallery and art school which operated in Saint John, New Brunswick from 1885-1893. When the Owens Art Institution closed, its collection of just over three hundred paintings, drawings, prints, and statuary including Riccardi’s Romeo and Juliet were transferred to Mount Allison University where the Owens Art Gallery, which officially opened in 1895, was purpose-built to house the collection.

In both Saint John and in Sackville, Romeo and Juliet was exposed to the soot from coal and wood stoves that heated the galleries at the time. It was also placed in less-than-ideal storage environments where dust and dirt were allowed to accumulate on its surface. Following modern facility upgrades to the Owens, including temperature and humidity control, the painting sat for decades carefully wrapped in the stable environment of our painting vault. In 2007 the painting underwent extensive conservation treatments so that it could be exhibited again.

Conservation of artworks requires extensive training and specialized skills. Art conservators use a variety of methods and tools to assess and understand the condition of a painting and to propose a treatment to improve its condition.

As much as possible, treatments must be reversible as new methods and technologies evolve and replace those of the past. Conservation treatments must remain both invisible and removable.

Embracing Juliette, Romeo gently kisses her forehead. The colours are muted and details are obscured by a brown-black haze over the entire painting. A painting of Romeo embracing Juliette has a bright light shone on it, revealing several cracks and puckers all across the painting's surface.

Pre-conservation vs. under raking light

Juliette's pale skin and white dress glow under a blue light. Romeo and her hair appear in ghostly in a fluorescent green, fading into the dark blue background. Embracing Juliette, Romeo gently kisses her forehead. His fingers run through her long blonde hair as she leans on his shoulder. She wears a white dress with a high collar underneath a string of pearls. He wears an Elizabethan doublet under a gold necklace and cape. A long feather extends from his red cap.

Under UV light vs. post-conservation surface

Before beginning any conservation treatments, art conservators always begin by thoroughly examining a painting and documenting their observations in written reports. Photographs are taken to provide a visual document of the painting’s pre-conservation condition.

Raking light (a strong light shone from only one side) reveals irregularities in surface texture. In raking light, many distortions caused by sagging canvas and flaking paint could be seen.

Blue ultraviolet light allows the conservator to see the structure of the painting’s surface layers which are not visible in normal light. Under UV light, glazes on Juliet’s eyes and hair, as well as Romeo’s tunic were visible.

On a table, a large painting of two figures rests nexts to several dirtied cotton swabs, bottles with a clear liquid and two dowels.
A large painting of a white dress on grass sits on a table next to a small beaker of water a dowel and a pile of dirtied cotton tips. One corner of the painting has been cleaned showing its vibrant colours, while the rest of the canvas has a brown hue.
One corner of the painting has been cleaned, revealing the dramatic colour difference between Juliette’s white dress and the areas still yet to be cleaned.
A detail of a Juliette being embraced by Romeo has been partially cleaned. On the left, the painting's colours are bright, while on the right the colours are subdued by a black film.
Detail showing Juliette’s partially cleaned white dress. There is dramatic contrast between the cleaned areas on the left and the area still covered in a layer of soot on the left.
Juliette’s white dress is partially cleaned. There is dramatic contrast between the cleaned areas and the squares still covered in a layer of soot.
Only a browned square on Juliette’s dress remains to be cleaned.
A painting of a Juliette being embraced by Romeo has been partially cleaned. Only a browned square on Juliette’s dress remains to be cleaned.
The backside of a painting shows the progress of being cleaned. Areas marked by water damage spot the canvas.
A wooden frame with canvas stretched across it. One corner of the canvas is a lighter colour. A blade and a gummy ball are placed on the edge of the frame.

Conservation treatment usually begins with the removal of dust and dirt from the surface of the painting. Cleaning tests are done to determine the most effective cleaning solution and cotton swabs are carefully rolled across the surface inch by inch. Cleaning revealed the crisp white of Juliet’s dress and the rich greens of the foliage that surrounds the figures.

After the paint surface has been cleaned the canvas is turned face down and the reverse of the canvas is cleaned using a soft, dry, rolling putty that picks up the dirt.

Because of the sheer size of the painting the cleaning took a number of weeks to complete.

A damaged area of a painting exposes the fibres of the canvas below it.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation
A close up photo shows the interwoven fibres of a canvas. In the centre a circular hole is missing.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation
Fibres of twine lay horizontally across a damaged piece of canvas filling the missing gaps.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation
A scalpel is placed above a small area of wax securing threads on the backside of a canvas.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation
In the art conservation lab Jane Tisdale leans over a large table with a canvas on it. A light shines across the surface of the canvas as she works on it.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation
The interwoven threads of a canvas are seen through the lens of a microscope. A central area of damage is repaired with new threads of a slightly darker colour.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation
A magnifying glass on a stand rests atop a damaged area of a large canvas. On the left and right are marks of water damage and discolouration.
Romeo and Juliet Conservation

Holes or damaged areas of the canvas are repaired by softening and realigning the canvas threads. This procedure requires great care and is done under magnification. Sometimes extra fibers are added to fill gaps before the adhesive is applied to strengthen the existing threads.

A large painting lays face down on a table in a conservation laboratory. The backside has a distinctive cross of discolouration. The edges curl up where a frame would have been. In the foreground a brush, specialized hand-tool and several nails are on the table.
A large painting fills a table in the conservation laboratory. It is covered with a semi translucent material. The edges of the paining are flattened.
A painting lays on a large table in a conservation lab. Long sandbags surround the painting, holding down a layer of white material and plastic as a vacuum to the right create a tight seal between the layers.
Long fabric sandbags and suction cups are placed near a painting removing air from between several layers of materials. The frayed edges of a painting extend near the edge of a white fabric backing, while the surface is protected by a white paper and plastic.

Canvas is sensitive to humidity changes that can cause it to sag and tighten and gradually lose flexibility. As canvas ages it becomes brittle and can easily be torn or distorted by impacts. ‘Lining’ a painting means that a supporting fabric is attached to the original canvas to reinforce it.

After lining, areas of paint loss are filled with a removable carvable material. Wax resin was used as infilling material for Romeo and Juliet. It was heated and dropped as liquid to fill the gaps and holes. After hardening it was carved to match the surrounding texture of the paint, a process known as infilling.

At this point, the areas that had been infilled were then inpainted carefully, to match the surrounding original paint. This stable removable paint covers only the infilled areas. The original paint is not affected or covered during inpainting.

The final step was coating the entire surface of the painting with varnish to saturate the colours and protect the surface.

Within an elaborate gold frame two figures stand on a path in a forest. The colours and details of the artwork are obscured by a layer of black-brown film. Within an elaborate gold frame two figures stand on a path in a forest. A woman wearing in long white dress with puffy sleeves and a high collar is embraced by a man wearing an Elizabethan outfit, pointed boots and complete with a red cap with a long feather. A burgundy cloak is draped over his arm, concealing a sword.

N. Riccardi
Romeo and Juliet
oil on canvas
252.7 x 161.3 cm
Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University